The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-11-12

behind me Heaven would vomit me
forth as unfit. Heavens gate is shut
to him who comes alone )" the strong
must help the weak the wise the fool
ish; the good the bad, until all are
strong, wise and good. So closely are
we implicated with each others destiny
that 40 soul will ever walk in perfect
white until all souls are white. The
appeal of God is not to the selfish, but
to the noble instincts of man. If all
were in heaven save one, the full Joy of
heaven could not be felt until that one
was brought in. We are an eternal
brotherhood.
4. The fourth proposition of the
Universalist faith is, that the struggle
with evil is not confined to this present
life. A moral conflict cannot be limited
by the physical event of death. Not
one line in our Bible connects the death
of the body with final crisis of the
soul. The whole moral universe is the
arena of this struggle. "Things in
heaven, and things upon the earth, and
things under the earth" are implicated
in it. The magnificent drama of the
conflict of light with darkness, cannot
be crowded on to this narrow stage of
life. God does not deploy all his re-
demptive forces on this little field. Do
any of you, complacent acceptors of the
faith of Immortality, ever think what
you are going to do to all eternity =? The
heavenliest thrill of joy that ever visits
the heart here is the joy of rescuing and
saving. Will it never be felt hereafter?
Are you looking for heaven of end
less ease? an eternity of idleness?
To descend into hell with Christ were
better, if, haply, you might find there
some loved one to rescue, or some I'M
loved one to love and help to save.
Who can dream of a nobler heaven
than that which an added power to
save, teach and exalt would give? The
old, selfish idea of an exclusive heaven
is gone. Selfshness is selfishness, here
or anywhere; and in heaven it would
only be hell masquerading in vicarious
robe and stolen crown To gain the
great Society of all Saints and be 'a
worker together with God'' until all
evil is banished from his universe, is
the highest destiny man can desire.
Some men say we must not have the
whole campaign before us; its vast
ness will appal US; we shall lose heart.
But Paul has put it before US, HE
must reign till he has put all enemies
under his feet" And which, let me
ask, will kill courage quickest, the
whole grand campaign before us, with
victory at the end or to have the vista
closed at the end of this short life,
with the vision of unconquered evil
an eternal defeat for God and man?
The Christian solution of life's unfin
ished story is-victory over all evil
5. The Fifth Proposition of the Uni
versalist Faith is that God himself is
implicated with us in the conflict with
evil. If each successive generation is
born under its curse of brute-inherit-
ance, it does not carry on the conflict
without the sympathy of heaven; and
God himself shares with us the strug-
gle and the victory. This is what that
Nroco On CaIuoru r,ooopc tho diuinar
the life, the closer the sympathy with
man in his conflict. "God so loved the
world" And where, think you, is that
pain-sharing Christ now? At the post
Of honor on the right hand of God.
And where is Gods right hand? Where
else but where it is needed, in the thick
of the fight against evil, here and every
where. The iInmanent God is with us,
above, and through, and in US all; and
the Christ is on his right hand. 1t is
no small part of the work of the Uni
versalist Faith to bring back, from the
long exile to which the Satanic Chris
tianity has banished it, the conception
of the Indwelling God; not the trans
cendent God only, dwelling apart, across
a gulf which has to be bridged with
popes and hierarchies, bishops and
priests, but the Almighty Father, dwell
ing among his children where he is
needed, and accessible to the humblest
of them whether the Church says yes
or mol
This, then, is the ethical interpreta-
ton of Christianity which we bring into
the missionary field. 1t is simply a
larger and nobler conception of the
divine nature and providence.
The first missionary question about
it is, will it raise up and inspire mis-
sionaries2 Is it noble enough to appeal
to nobleness, and inspire it to the last
effort and sacrifice?
Do you, my brethren, feel it as
divine message which you must deliver
or die, or deliver and die? Is con-
straining necessity laid upon you? Do
you feel, with Paul, $ Woe is me if l
preach not these glad tidings ?" When
you think that the awful evil under
which the whole creation groans and
travails in pain, is vulnerable, has been
partly, and can be wholly overcome;
that man is Gods instrument for that